Apna Ghar was built like jail: Ex-cop

Vishal Joshi

Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, April 23

On the eve of the pronouncement of punishment to nine convicts in the infamous Apna Ghar case, police officers recall traumatic tales of about 100 inmates at Rohtak’s shelter home.

They said the guilty should get exemplary punishment.

MS Mann, who retired as the DGP (Home Guards), told The Tribune on Monday: “During my visit to Apna Ghar in 2012, I found differently abled girls and women living in pathetic conditions. The shelter home was built like a jail, where the goings-on could not be known to the outside world,” said Mann, who headed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the police before the case was handed over to the CBI.

Mann said the SIT was constituted after the state authorities were not convinced with the investigation by then police officials of Rohtak district.

In May 2012, three inmates had escaped from Apna Ghar and reached New Delhi. As they shared details of sexual exploitation of inmates at the hands of shelter home caretaker Jaswanti Devi and others, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) raided the premises in Rohtak’s Shri Nagar locality. About 120 inmates were rescued.

“SIT member Dharna Yadav, then a newly recruited DSP, played the most important role in building confidence among abused children and women. It was only due to her and her subordinates — Laxmi, Satya and Vidyawati — the victims opened up to share their tales of sexual and mental abuse,” Mann said.

He added Yadav used to play with minors and differently abled victims to gain their confidence in building the case.

Yadav, currently posted as Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) in Gurugram, said the threat of Jaswanti Devi was visible on the faces of the inmates.

“It was shocking to listen to the endless tales of brutality. Inmates were subjected to exploitation at a place where they were supposed to get protection,” she said.

“It was my first major professional assignment. As an inexperienced cop, I found it tough to accept such a brutal face of society. After the expose, the victims got overwhelming support from the child helpline, the police, the media and volunteers. But the major relief came from the judiciary. The guilty should get exemplary punishment,” she said.

Yadav recalled several of the victims were psychologically challenged and they were unable to narrate their ordeal. “We had to rope in sign language exerts and special educators to understand them,” she added.

QUOTES

During my visit to Apna Ghar in 2012, I found differently abled girls and women living in pathetic conditions. The shelter home was built like a jail, where the goings-on could not be known to the outside world

MS Mann

Former DGP (Home Guards)

Several of the victims were psychologically challenged and they were unable to narrate their ordeal. We had to rope in sign language exerts and special educators to understand them

Dharna Yadav

ACP, Gurugram